Work in Progress with Gael Piñeiro Beiras
Chatting work, change and hope this week is Gael Pineiro Beiras (El Media), Associate Creative Director at Adobe and previously at TikTok. Based in London, Gael writes El Media and describes herself as someone who cares “about people and stories that shape the world. I work at the intersection of creativity and culture, helping brands tell stories people believe in, and pay for.”
What are you working on right now?
I’ve been so interested in the intersection of AI and creativity and what it means for the near and long term future. How cool people are using it to do really smart things.
So I’ve started with AI Slop, and now I’m researching VibeCoding, feels to me it’s become or is about to become mainstream. I have a few hypotheses, but one is the ‘big replica era’, where it’s so easy to copy or just mimic vibes and styles without meaning and specific intention. (This sooo started in 2020 with TikTok, trends and the cores, we all remember.)
At the same time, I feel there is an emerging counter movement of people going against the SLOP (by playing into it), the replica, the fast, the cheap etc… I.e I love this artist, Eammon Freel.
The idea of ‘intellectual honesty’ has been living rent-free in my head since I read Miuccia Prada talk about it. It feels like a really important approach to think about creativity right now.
If you could change one thing about the world of work right now, what would it be, and why?
This question is everything haha! It’s not super smart or anything, but I’d say showing up without pretending.
I think people do their best work when they’re allowed to actually be themselves and have their own point of view, in any job, in any role. I think a more honest approach, allows us to admit we don’t necessarily have the answers, and therefore leave space and time for research, exploration and experimentation.
Also, I genuinely think that’s where things are heading. If everything is easier to replicate, original thinking and honesty can be the key to success. As far as I can tell, nothing great has ever come from pure conformism.
What’s giving you hope right now?
I want to say the internet at large, just the easy access to culture, super cool people (like you!), and super cool things that having WiFi and a computer/smart phone brings.
Yesterday evening, I was watching this YouTube video from A24 that promotes the new documentary ‘Marc by Sofia’, and it’s at the BookMarc shop and Romy Mars is interviewing her mum (aka Sofia Coppola lol) and her uncle Marc Jacobs, anyways they just CHAT, but I was like uh there are actually a lot of people doing a lot of beautiful, nice things. Like how many years has BookMarc been going on! And now everything BOOK-related is super trendy and cool.
Being on the internet motivates me to keep going, keep learning and keep refining my craft, to be successful in the IRL world I guess…
Work in progress is a celebration of the effort and mindset required to make real change exist.
The most important jobs are never done and great work happens somewhere in the messy middle, where its all too easy to give up. But optimism is a pragmatic choice we make daily, so if you’re navigating change and want a thinking partner along the way, explore how we work.